Helmets.......

My primary helmet is a Monaco Lazer carbon modular helmet, but last year I went on the hunt for a more retro looking helmet for when I'm riding the Harley. I found this Bell 3/4 Custom 500 rally helmet that works great with goggles. Its low profile so it doesnt give me that bobble head look, and damn its comfortable. The first ride with it reminded me of my earlier years riding when 3/4's were all the rage (early 1970's for you younger guys).
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Well, surprisingly, the Shoei turned up today. Yes it fitted, yes I whinged at them, yes they knocked $90 off list for me! ) still a pricey helmet but I went out for a quick spin on the Mana and I have to say I'm very impressed.

Noise isn't really a issue for me as I always wear ear plugs but it is quieter by far than my Shark. Comfort is superb. My previous 'Benchmark' for fit and comfort was an open face Arai I had in '83 in Sydney. Well the Shoei is as comfortable but weighs about 1/2 what the Arai weighed I'd bet.

Vision is also great, especially peripheral vision and when in the fully down position offers very good wind protection. While the Mana has a tallish screen the wind always got directed onto my collar of my jacket with the Shark. No such problems with the Shoei.

Flip down sun shield works well. Vents I haven't experimented with yet.

Overall I'm very happy with my choice. It'll be interesting to compare it with the $40 Chineseum special which should be here in the next couple of days!

Having recently crashed in a Shoei Neotec 1 (flipface modular), I rate it for protection and build. I landed on my face during the crash and was happily skidding along, ears full of gravel and tar scratchy noises thinking this helmet works really well. The aftermath showed the whole left hand side of the visor scratched out and a bit above and below on the full face section as well. Having used open faces for short periods of time in summer, I have to say after the accident I will always use a full face/or modular helmet. I hate to think what my facial injuries would have been without it (maybe an improvement cosmetically?).
Insurance paid for a new Shoei Neotec 2 ($1100) - crazy money that I likely would not have stumped up for without the cover. Anyway, I can recommend the new Shoei Neotec 2 Modular over the old, it is both lighter and quieter and the vents work well in hot weather. It came with a pinlock visor and helmet bag. Shoei has always fitted my head shape well (pin head) and I struggle with Arai and Nolan for that reason. I did try a Schuberth C3/4 on, but it was nowhere near fitting my head at all. Lastley, I had the previous Shoei for about 6-7 years, I replaced all the foam lining in it a couple of times. This is the good thing about Shoei - you can keep the shell and replace the liners for years after they stop making that particular helmet which gives it a very good shelf life which can be balanced against the sky high asking price.

I have a 6 year old Shoei Qwest. I replaced the cheek pads and chin strap covers/pads. Like a new helmet. I always keep a bandana in the top so I can take it out periodically and wash it. I’d be hard pressed to buy anything but a Shoei, but that’s what fits and I’m used to. I cant believe the Chinese helmets will be made out of a similar shell and linings. Very interested to hear the Pete and Beetle reviews.

This just arrived. On sale for 250. Reviews are mixed, guess I'll find out.
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Sure looks good, look forward to your review.

Well, the Shoei arrived last week. I got out for a couple of rides over the weekend. It's a very nice helmet, everything works exceptionally well and things like the strap buckle and visor mechanisms have that smooth, high quality feel. It is comfortable, visor changes are a piece of piss. Internal sun visor operates easily with one finge on the slide on the outside of the helmet. The foam shock absorption material is good and thick and the removable liner, cheek pads etc. are easy to use and fit well.

The 'Drunk eBay' cheap Chineseum special arrived this morning. It too fits me OK but the shock absorption material is only about half as thick as the Shoei. The external visor ratchets up and down with all the subtlety and finesse of a rotary cultivator, the internal sun visor has no external device for operation, you have to grab hold of a tab on the LH side of it and yank it up and down. It moves reluctantly with a noise like somebody towing a retired electric stove down a spiral staircase. It's vents are clunky and hard to operate. Generally speaking it's a fairly odious piece of shit but I'll take it out for a comparison ride on the Mana and see if it feels better in use. To be honest I doubt it will.

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Conclusion? Well it's what you'd expect really. The Shoei is undoubtedly a very superior and top-class piece of kit. At a retail price of a whisker under $800AU you'd bloody well want it to be!

The El-Cheapo? It too, essentially, does exactly what it sez on the box. It's a $40 helmet that is, I'm sure, better than nothing but being quite fond of my bonce, ugly though it is, I think that while I'll happily use it as a 'Knockabout' brain-bucket for zipping around town on the CT110 I don't think I will be eschewing the quality, comfort or safety of my Vozz or Shoei any time soon!

Well I rode into Canberra on the Mana to pick up a couple of parts with the Chineseum special on and I can say that at anything over about 85kph the wind off the screen on the Mana makes you feel like you're fighting Mike Tython in a bass speaker at a Hawkwind concert in 1972!

Would it be better with the smaller screen on the GRiSO? Buggered if I know and I'm not going to bother to find out! Definitely now my 'CT 110 Helmet' as the CT can't do much over 85kph unless you toss it out of the back of a C130 at 10,000 ft!

Pete Roper wrote:

makes you feel like you're fighting Mike Tython in a bass speaker at a Hawkwind concert in 1972!

What were they playing? Silver Machine or Space Is Deep





My el-cheapo arrived today. It truly is awful. It weighs nothing. Fits perfectly. However, I am NOT going to ride with it. I simply wouldn't feel...safe.  



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Pete, whatever happened to that ROOF helmet I recall you buying some time back?

Bill

'Roof'? I know not of any such helmet? Do you mean the Vozz? Ver the last couple of decades I stuck with HJC for a long time as they fit my peculiar shaped bonce very well but have had a brief flirt with a Shark Evoline-II, the Vozz and now have returned to a Shoei.

How's the Norge charging issue progressing Bill?

Pete Roper wrote:

'Roof'? I know not of any such helmet? Do you mean the Vozz? Ver the last couple of decades I stuck with HJC for a long time as they fit my peculiar shaped bonce very well but have had a brief flirt with a Shark Evoline-II, the Vozz and now have returned to a Shoei.

How's the Norge charging issue progressing Bill?

As for helmet, I thought I recalled -- sigh; I'm well along on the long downslope of my dotage -- that a few years ago you had one when they were intriguing ... and seriously odd looking.  The newer models seem more orthodox, but still "brown eggs."  http://www.roof.fr/en/boxxer/323-ro9-boxxer-noir-mat.html

The Norge?

Tried (most of) the various checks I sent to you from others and yours, too.  Nada yet, but I have the tank off so it's hard to do some testing to confirm charging or not.  On the bright side, I think I may have Wayne Orwig willing to come up, spend some pleasant time in the area -- and fix the Norge.  He is, as you know, pretty darn savvy with automotive electrics and with Guzzis in particular.  I can make impressive sparks!

Will keep you posted of any breakthroughs.

Best of all, the GRiSO is next up in the batting order after several recent rides on the V7's, and tomorrow looks promising.  

Bill

I just decided to give one of these a whirl, fleabay also, been looking at it for the last month and reading your post Pete convinced me to finally hit "buy it now dammit". A bit pricier than $38 at €133, but still cheapo category. Expecting it to be nosier than hell, but good for short runs.
Now, must hide some of the older helmets in the garage attic from the missus,
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PS: My lid of choice for any serious trips is a BMW Race, super quiet and the 1/2 size difference with BMW helmets give me a perfect fit.

Now, must hide some of the older helmets in the garage attic from the missus, Embarassed

I've been thinking of turning my old helmets into garage lights.  Hang them on a wall with bulbs projecting out the ports......

rick pope wrote:

Now, must hide some of the older helmets in the garage attic from the missus, Embarassed

I've been thinking of turning my old helmets into garage lights.  Hang them on a wall with bulbs projecting out the ports......

Novel idea and potentially even better than hiding them in the attic, the better half might very well walk by and ignore them in plain sight! let me know how it goes for you, :-)

It will have to be a winter project. My first thought was to hang them as "sconces", but now I'm toying with hanging 4 of them on an old lamp with the face openings aimed towards the ceiling. I might get creative and use old agricultural scrap for the post and base. Hmmm. I have a broken ring and pinion out of a 300 hp. John Deere that might be a start.

Chromeburner is a good website to get helmets from.
I got my latest Shoei from them, landed in the Great Southern Land for $250 less than off the shelf.
I'd like to support bricks and mortar, but toofiddy is a tough sell....
8 days from the Nedderlands to my door too!

+1 for Chromeburner. I've bought two helmets off them. I did my my current helmet from BikeBiz in Sydney, but only because it was an insurance job.

mine is the NXR
I have a shoei shaped head unfortunately... so the lid it is quite comfy
was touted as being "exceptionally quiet.. "wind tunnel tested.." "minimal wind noise..." blah blah

I still wear earplugs


mind you, those earplugs have a music feed in

The Blauer Pod arrived today, It was not the Titanium Grey (see above) that I ordered but another colour  "Graphic B Matt Black / White / Anthracite", I have decided it's an OK colour/design so won't make a fuss.

Took it for a test ride and actually for an open face its not as noisy as I was expecting, I think the lack of vents/openings do help a bit in that respect, there is a drop down tinted visor also ( no lever you have to pull it down by a lip)

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I guess I’m not the only one with misshapen head issues. Twenty-odd years ago when I got back into riding it was real struggle to find any sort of helmet that fit. Fortunately the internet had become a thing and I was able to find that Arai made a long-oval helmet, the Signet GT, and that theoretically the XXL size should fit me and my 64ish(+) cm head. I ordered one up and when it arrived it fit like a vise, squeezing my head front to back in a most uncomfortable way. It was returned and they had four choices in an XXXL size; black, white, red, silver. I chose red. Fortunately, it fit, but not without tapping in one small section of the expanded polystyrene in the back with the round end of a ball peen hammer. I still have the helmet but they have long since quit making the parts to keep it going, other than eBay offerings.

Ten years later it was time for a new helmet and another call to The Helmet Shop in Daytona Beach, Florida yielded the ONLY color choice in the Arai Profile XXXL long oval model, silver. Again, it received the hammer treatment and I am still using the helmet even though once again the availability of parts is an issue. This is no doubt part of their strategy to keep business going, under the guise of “you should replace your helmet every five years”. Ummm....I kind of have to if you guys are going to quit making visors and liners for it.

So here I am ten years on, looking to buy another Arai XXXL long-oval helmet and guess what...the current Arai Signet-X only goes up to an XXL size, with no XXXL opitons at all. An email to Arai yielded a “Sorry!” response, with a suggestion to try a XXL as the innards had changed slightly. But try to find one to even try on, at least without first purchasing it and then having to return it if it doesn’t fit. Two dealers in Tucson, Arizona only carried medium and large Arai’s. There are two very good helmet shops in Tucson, Cycle Gear (a national chain) and Renegade, with about 400 and 700 helmets in stock, respectively. Cycle Gear normally only stocks medium and large helmets, but they did have two HJC’s, probably order returns, in XXXL and XXXXL that fit, both black (ugh). Renegade had but one, a Bell SRT in XXXL (white only) that would still need the ball peen fitment to make it right.

The thing with the bargain HJC’s and the low end Bell, all of them in the sub $220 range, is that they lack some of the niceties, like multi-position shields and decent vents, and none of them are Snell rated, although that’s not a deal breaker. Also, they just don’t fit like my Arai helemts. Bell had a custom fit and build option for a while, but they’ve discontinued it. At this point my plan is to stop by the retail store that motorcyclecloseouts.com has up in Kansas City on my way back to Michigan to see if they have anything at all that will fit. If not, I guess I’m back to scrounging eBay visors and liners or starting a letter campaign to Arai to get them to bring back the XXXL. Alas, it’s never easy in the Melon Head League.

I got my Arai Signet X on clearance from Dennis Kirk. Might want to check out their website GuzziLooper.

linky

I have a Scuberth C3 - as well made as a Neo-tec but much quieter the downside is that the ventilation is poor - it has a pinlock so great for young blokes but any old fogeys like me wearing glasses Mist city. The Schuberth non flip helmet has better ventilation.

I am not surprised to read that the production cost price of the top helmets is less than £40 the design does not really have to change much and they get to sell a new one every 5 years for no work at all.

Btw regarding the higher 'safety' of full face lids - i remember talking to a trauma consultant years ago who was not convinced - he thought that repairing faces was easier than repairing necks when a rigid face guard dug in......

GuzziLooper,
my mate has a huuuuge melon, often chooses just to wear the box they came in...
his latest helmet is a Kabuto
fits well he says.
I wear a XXL shoei, and his rattled around on me.

A helmet topic! YESSS!  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

So my faithful HJC IS-Max II has served me for nearly 5 years now. I've had a small crash with it after the second year, which it withstood well enough that I didn't replace it. Two weeks ago I was riding and suddenly 'PANG' a sound and feel as if someone had shot at my helmet with an air-rifle.
I actually made a controlled emergency stop and scanned for open windows etc. it sounded that serious.

Upon inspection, the sun vizor control on top of the helmet had apparently exploded. The spring and the release button nowhere to be found.  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Amazing what a sound that makes.  

So while I'm still wearing the helmet atm, I'm obviously looking for a replacement. Shoei Neotec would be great but it's so bloody expensive... And the new HJC's all have moved the sun vizor controls to the left bottom side, so I can't mount my bluetooth unit there anymore  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Anyway fun to see the cheap vs expensive comparison  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


My trusty but battered helmet for (almost) 5 years:

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Nice crack in the air vent insert from my crash:
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Exploded sun vizor release button:
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